"I didn't know if I was going to get on the pitch"
Ballygunner's Pauric Mahony celebrates with Conor Tobin at full time. Photo: Noel Browne
Man of the Match Pauric Mahony was all smiles as he embraced supporter after supporter on the pitch after the final whistle on Sunday. His fourteenth county title in a Ballygunner jersey was one of the best yet as the 33 year old battled a back problem throughout the season.
"It's one of the sweetest ones. For long periods of the year, I didn't know if I was going to get on the pitch. There were setbacks. I thought I was getting back then something else happened; it was just a bit of a rollercoaster year. The last day, getting 20 minutes under my belt, was key for today. Just after half-time, I was gone! I was only in the way in the second half, but look, in fairness, we put in a really good display in that first half."
He had to wait until the quarter final against Passage to see pitch time. It tested his glass-half-full outlook. "I always try and be positive about things. I didn't play any of the league games. I had a setback around the Clonea game where I thought I was going to be back."
His first start of the 2025 championship arrived on Sunday where he scored eleven points (seven frees and four from play) and had a hand in the two goals for Dessie Hutchinson and Patrick Fitzgerald. The number fifteen gave a modest reaction when county chairman Neil Moore announced him as Man of the Match. "I don't know how I'm after getting that! I think there were ten other lads ahead of me there!"
It was his fifth county final Man of the Match. 2011, 2016, 2018, 2024 and now 2025. The former Waterford captain has racked up five goals and 125 points in sixteen county final appearances!
Mahony has enjoyed success under Ger Cunningham, Niall O'Donnell, Denis Walsh, Fergal Hartley, Darragh O'Sullivan and now Jason Ryan. The former Wexford and Kildare football manager has settled in seamlessly. "A lot of change in our set-up this year, a lot of new faces and obviously a bit of uncertainty around it. First and foremost for us every year it's the county championship. You don't get sick of this feeling; it's unbelievable."
Mahony was one of the last Ballygunner players to leave the field on Sunday evening. He will never get fed up of winning county titles. "For the community and the people around here, the same faces keep coming back and coming back every year. No matter what the situation is, they're here supporting Ballygunner. Obviously, it's been a couple of great weeks for the club, winning the minor and winning the intermediate and topped off here today."
